Saturday, August 23, 2014

“Despite the daily carnage, Dezful residents faced the war
with resilience, even humor. Despite the proximity of Iraqi forces, the city
was never occupied, and became a model of civilian resistance. My own uncle’s
home was demolished during a nighttime air raid in the early 1980s. Known for
his well-groomed appearance and carefully ironed shirts, he emerged from the
wreckage bloody and bruised. When his neighbors spotted him and inquired about
his tattered clothes, he replied: “I didn’t know that in Khomeini’s Iran, a man
should wear a suit and tie to bed so that he looks presentable if they find him
dead the next morning.”